March 04, 2009

It snowed 6" here NC in one night on the 2nd of March with temperature plunging down to 11F at night, can you believe it?!But we loved it, it was a joy to look at the powdery snow when the sunlight hits it. Such glorious sight, it feels good to be alive! A short lived joy though, it's all went back to normal now, although it's still a bit cold!Hopefully, weather gets warmer now that we had the snow storm. I am really looking forward to Spring after what seems to be a longest and coldest Winter this year!(Click to enlarge the snow covered photos of our front and back yard.)

What else is going on over here?Well... Siri had a resolution not to shop for a week, to use up all the fridge and freezer food etc and she achieved that goal this week! Inspired by her, I have decided not to shop for 14days as well starting from last Saturday and I also want to try to detox myself by getting on a liquid only (Rasam/dal broth fast?!) plan one day per week! Can I do it? Time will tell, I will update you for sure! :D

As some of you know already, I am taking a short break from posting any dishes in my Aroma blog so I can have some time to read few books. I will be cooking as usual and posting here at FH once a week on Wednesdays though. If any of these dishes suits your events, I will gladly send it you. I have posted all the event logos on the bottom of the post, have linked to respective hosts and their posts as well.

Ever since I cooked for RCI Kerala, I have fallen in love with Kerala cuisine, always so simple, flavorful and delicious. I tried these Kalan and Shrimp Moily from a book called "The essential Kerala cookbook" by Vijayan Kannampilly. A very non-pretentious, soft bound book by Penguin Original with no pictures at all but recipes are so authentic, it feels like I am cooking from a grandmother's kitchen! :)

Nenthrakkaya/Plantain Kalan/Kaalan:I love Plaintains. The kind I get here are from South America, so tough that I have to cook them in a pressure cooker to soften them unlike Indian Plantains which are lot tender and almost like cooking Potatoes. Anyway, here is a classic Kerala Kalan, delicious Palntains cooked in a spicy yogurt and coconut sauce.I made some Paprika Pooris to serve with Kalan, which are a surprisingly perfect combo! Kalan tastes better the next day as the spices mingle overnight, just keep it in the fridge and reheat the next day to serve.

To make Kalan:1. Peel and cube Plantains to small pieces. Add all the "you need" ingredients up there in a pressure cooker along with Plantains and cook until soft.2. In a pan, heat oil+ghee etc , add other ingredients as in the "temper" section one by one, stir until onion is slightly golden. Then add cooked Plantain into it and heat for 3 mins.3. Turn down the heat, add ground masala to it and simmer gently for 1/2 an hour. Never let it boil, coconut paste might separate to make the gravy thin.4. Once it thickens and smells good, add cilantro and adjust the salt. Take off the heat. You can reheat in the Microwave when you need it.

Plantain Kalan with Paprika Poori or Boori: (as Aparna told me to say, Malayalee style! :D)Kalan with thinner gravy can be served with rice or as side dish. I made Pooris flavored and colored with some Paprika in the dough. Paprika gives them a great color without adding heat to the Pooris.

1. Add 1 1/2 cup wheat flour/atta, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp Paprika (just for color, sweet Paprika is not spicy), mix well. Add enough milk or water to make a very stiff dough, cover and let it rest for 20mins or so.Heat oil to deep fry to 365F.2. Divide into Golf sized or smaller balls. Roll each out into 4-5" circles 1/8" thick (you can use a 4" cookie cutter to cut the shapes) , gently add to hot oil. Press the top a bit with a perforated spatula until it puffs and flip the Poori, let it get golden and remove on a paper towel.3. Serve with Kalan.

Shrimp/Chemmeen Moily/Molee:Usually, I don't buy or cook Seafood at home although I love to order Salmon or crab cakes in the restaurants. But after seeing so many delicious Seafood dishes cooked by other bloggers, I have decided to cook a few Seafood dishes too. I bought a pack of large Shrimps and chose a Moily/Molee recipe from that Kerala book. We loved the flavorful gravy with some plain rice and kids were happy to have a non-veg as well! :D

To make Shrimp Moily:1. Marinade the Shrimps in lemon juice, salt, pepper and turmeric for 20 mins.2. Heat oil, add curry leaves, finely chopped onion, green chillies, stir until soft.3. Add ground paste and stir fry for 2 mins until oil shows up on top, do not burn the masala.4. Add Tomato sauce, cook for 3 more minutes or until you get a thick sauce.5. Turn down the heat, add 1/4 cup cold water and 1 cup coconut milk, simmer until the sauce is heated thru' on low heat.6. Once the sauce hot enough, add Shrimp along with it's marinade, mix well. Cook gently until Shrimps turn pink, doesn't take much time to cook. Garnish with Cilantro.

Do not add Shrimps unless the coconut milk sauce is cooked thru' and smells good.Do not overcook the Shrimps once added to the sauce, they will be tough to eat.

Serve this Moily with plain rice, Aapams, Pathiri or Idiappam. Again, this Moliy tastes better the next day but equally delicious to serve right after it's made.

Spinach and Feta Pockets to grab and go/meals on wheels!Last Sunday, we were lazing around watching movies when kids wanted some snacks. I had a can of Pilsbury Crescents in the fridge. Since I always have Spinach and Feta in the freezer (which are both kids' favorite), they wanted to make some quick Crescent pockets. These are very easy to make and delicious to eat. Spinach is fully cooked, so you can keep these on the kitchen counter for 1-2 days without a worry, ie if there are any left of course!! :D

You need:1 can of Pillsbury Crescent, which has 8 triangles.(Or you can use Puff pastry, Bread dough, Pizza dough,Phyllo dough sheets and or any crust of your choice. Oven temp vary depending on what crust you choose)

Filling: 2 cups Fresh or frozen Spinach, chopped,1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese,pinch of salt,(Feta has salt, go easy on the salt)enough Pepper,1/2 tsp Garlic pd,1 tsp dry Steak seasoning which has onion flakes, herbs and red chilli flakes,To make:1. Microwave Spinach with 1 tbsp water, witha pinch of salt or if frozen, without any water with salt for 5 mins or so covered until Spinach is cooked and almost dry. Cool it.2. Add all the spices and Feta to cooled Spinach, mix gently. Do not break Feta too much. Adjust salt and spices to your taste. Divide the filling roughly to 8 portions.

Preheat the oven to 375F or as the Crescent can instructs you.

3. Open the can, lay the triangles on a cookie sheet. Take 1 portion of filling and place it on the widest part of the crescent ans wrap the dough around the filling lightly however you want and seal the edges.4. Repeat the same with all others and bake for 15-20 mins or until they are golden. Excellent to eat right after baking and nutrius too! You can use Pizza dough or inbetween the Biscuit dough too instead of Crescents! :)

Here are the logos of each event I will be sending these dishesto;

Kalan, a Kerala dish along with poori, goes to EC of "Simple Indian food", who is hosting "WYF-Cuisine" event.

Tried and Tasted from other blogs, thank you for posting these my dear friends! :)Click on the collage to enlarge. In addition to following the original recipes, I added a few other veggies or spices to these dishes.

Dill chapatis, from Ashwini. (I added some spices to the dough and improvised, will post my version of Parathas next week)

Movies I watched:

Frozen River (Oscar nominated, beautiful and heart wrenching)Priceless (French movie with English subtitle, good love story to watch to pass time!)Religulous (Documentary by Bill Maher, another must watch if you are open minded enough to question the existence of "God" and "God's people"!)

Thanks for all of you who passed on few award last week to me, they are in my sidebar with your names. Hugs to all of you!

Have a fun weekend, see you next week! Purnima let me know that March 8th is celebrated as a "International women's day", so enjoy that too! :)

Posted by
Asha

154 comments:

You are going our way this tie Asha.I love kaalan, i can eat heaps if rice if i just have kalan, hust the thought make me all drool. Accorfing to Hans if i had a bucket next to me when i am blog hopping the bucket will be full in seconds with my drool.And that chemeen milly that is another dish i love love love.Love your snowy pictures,

Asha,hmmm the snow ridden pictures look beautiful than ever...yes,the climate get crazy attimesLol so,this was your suprise..nethrakkai kalan is one of my fav too..very easy to make and simply delicious..but you have surprised me again with paprika poori..thats a different combo..hmmm and the the chemmeen moily,hope everyone have enjoyed that one...The spinach and feta pockets make me go crazy..get a cup of tea is my first wish now...torture..torture..

Asha..wow Kaalan looks wonderful, puri is one show stealer, fish moulee wt shrimps..absolutely new!I think the white creamy snow surely takes the cake! One part is snowing while the other is sand storm ;) Loved the collages! I now have a feta recipe..trust can use this in puffs? Lovely ...the recipes r a treasure..so bookmd!

So much of snow in the Carolinas is rather surprising! We had a snow blast over a foot here!!!Stay warm Ashakka...Incidentally we too had some Kalan yesterday with some Theal that my friend has sent us :) Me too fallen in love with Malayali cuisine.

We also had 6" inch snow here in Virginia. Now sunshine is back but still cold here too. Kalan & poori what a combination. I loved those feta pockets. I think we can eat Poories & feta pockets for Picnic too...what do you think? If you also think same then I am waiting these recipes for Recipes for Rest of Us: Picnic Eats event .

How could you manage time?Apart from taking care of ur family and other household chores..You cook so much for events,take snaps and check out other blogs(n always the first to comment!!),watch movies,try and test other recipes..OH my god..you are super girl :)Wish I could have so much energy like you ;)I'm glad you tried Cauliflower korma that's posted in my blog..Adding other veggies is a smart way to include other nutritional benefits..will keep that in mind,dear.Haven't tried making kalan..Paprika poori and Kalan sounds like an interesting combo..And the spinach feta pockets look adorable :)Thanks for being around and posting such nice recipes..Keep rocking :)

Wow Love that poori with Kalan..Love plaintains..I should try this..Shrimp moily looks good too..Can have that Spinach and feta any time..Yumm..Hey Dill chapathi looks yumm with the spices..Thanks for trying..Stay Warm..

Both the kalan and moily sauces sound good. Havn't had either before. Looks great, Asha! And the color of the paprika pooris is so pretty! Gotta try that.Can't believe the winter is still on in full swing. I can't wait for spring to arrive!

Madhu, I had only half a head of Cauliflower, so I added more veggies to feed 4 people!:DKurma tasted fab, thanks for the recipe! :)

Ashwini,I love Dill in anything. Your recipe suited me fine, thanks for that too, great flavor. For MBP, I have to cook from other blogs, these pockets are my creation. But I will be sending one for you too without a fail! :)

It's a torture for me to come here. :-) I have been sick & could not have a thing for the past few dys.. did not even feel like drinking water.. & here i am salivating now. That paprika puri is the best looking puri i have seen so far.

Love my shrimps, & this is very similar to what to make in Bengl.. all with coconut milk.. Those feta & spinach rolls are .... I am in loss of adjectives!

The snow filled scene is pristine. We really miss the snow after to moed from NJ to TX, except the shovelling & driving part.

Priya, you can make Kurma as I have posted and linked at the end of the post in "Tried and tasted" list or can just stir fry Gobi in little oil, Garlic,cumin seeds, pepper, salt and cilantro, like dry bhaji for chapatis or rice. Try it! :)

Ah that is lot of snow and freezing level temp! Need definetely some puris ... Chemmeen molee is my favo! If u love seafood u will never go back! 14 days rasam, Did u decide any rasam diet? Not fair to be slim before spring :)

Hi Asha,That is a great spread. I really wanted to refer one sambhar recipe that I use a lot and love http://lululoveslondon.blogspot.com/2006/03/spicy-delicious-sambhar.htmlThe sambhar tastes exactly like Saravana Bhavan if you make the pitlai podi as directed in her blog. Try it sometime. Its simply out of this world!!! :)-Smita

If i want to curb my hunger pangs and stop myself from indulging in whatever snacks i get to grab,i have to take a break from visiting your blog ;-)It makes me soooooo crazy!This is simply mindblowing,no words in my lexicon fits to describe the platter...superb !

Pictures of snow looks delighting.plantain kalan with red poori makes me stunning.Fish moilly is very authentic. Yes dear, Some authors explain the recipes with great care and feel at home to read them. feta pockets for snacks is a good idea.I am eager to try all ur dishes:)

Major snow right?I was stuck at home coz of the snow kept myself warm with all the soups I made.I havnt eaten too much of Kerala cuisine but these dishes look great especially the shrimp.What a celver way with the pooris.

Just love those beautiful red poori/boori with the kalan, Asha! And shrimp moily looks delish too. I am glad to hear your take on that cookbook as I've had my eye on it. Helps to know what others think before buying :)

Spinach and feta my fav... your pockets look a bit healthier than spanikopita (sp?) and just as tasty! Have a great evening -- glad you enjoyed the snowstorm. It's still very cold here so I guess we won't see the ground for awhile yet!

BTW I have been thinking about rasam tonight! Now I'll have to make it... :)

I agree with you,I too love kerala cuisine as they use coconut in most of them.Kalan and poori looks delicious.Guess what,I have pastry sheets at home,this weekend i will be treating my husband with spinach and feta pockets.They are looking so cute.Lovely pictures :)

Wow Asha....all the dishes look delicious! I specially liked the shrimp moilee. I have never cooked plantains...your recipe looks easy and interesting :) ANd I love your snowy pics. The small construction looks just like a gingerbread house!

those are some lovely pics Ashaji :) esp the second one! All the best for your detoxification. Kerala cuisine is so rich and delightful, so are your dishes too! I am getting Netflix cds from past 3 months and next in my queue is Frozen River, loved its preview.

Kerala Cuisine is soft and witha ll the coconut it is very delightful Asha. I am a big fan too. Spinach pockets are really inviting snack. Post your garden pictures too. Love to see them. Have a great time. Hope Trisha is getting ready for her college. Viji

Never thought of pairing Kaalan with pooris.. Next time I around I make Kaalan, am sure I will fry some pooris too.Spinach feta pockets looks lovely.. Yummy.What to say abt the snow pics when we are reeling under summer heat!

u r marveleous asha,how come u find time to do all these and try from other blogs too?its really amazing dear...fantastic job,,keep it up dear.do visit my food blod at ur free time and leave ur suggestion..i'll feel great:)thanks in advance..

i was wondering if you have come back ... and wohaaa... am late as usual.... how have you been doing.... and i am off to catch up with all the posts i have missed... phir will get back to writing to you...

Cynthia, thanks sweetie. "Ground masala" is spices you grind with coconut. Tempering or seasoning is just whole mustard etc to add to the oil in the beginning of the cooking. I know they are common Indian terms which Indians catch on quickly. I am glad you asked, don't hesitate at all if you have any q's!! :)

To grind: add all the spices and coconut first with little water in the blender, grind to a smooth paste. Then add yogurt or sour cream into the same blender and give it a whirl, so masala and yogurt are well mixed and thickish. Add this to slightly cooled pan with seasoning.

Nenthrakkaya kalan and poori sounds like a yum combination, loved both of them. We had about 3 inches of snow and thought it did not seem like much it sure looked pretty and did not close down the roads as much as last time !

Kalan and Moily look so delish. So true wht you say abt the plantains, first few times,I thgt I was doing something wrong in cooking or buying them, but then slowly came to knw, they are tougher here. I too made the spinach-feta (swirls) yest with puff pastry, sneaked in some asparagus and brocolli, love it. Thanx to you, I now knw that Crecent rolls can be used to,I knew only abt pastry n phyllo. The crescents are looking perfect!

Snow does looks wonderful...it's my long time wish to see snowfall...so silly of me ;)...the pics are beautiful ...as everyone said wow so many things and you still do something other things....should really share a tip a two with us about time management too:p.... have a gud weekend

Kaalan looks delicious..just the way I like it..thick and coated with masala..yum..great idea of pairing it with poori,that too fiery red paprika poori..I agree with Aparna..you can call it boori;-).Love the spinach and feta pockets too and love the way you have folded it..I have some puff pastry and phyllo sheets..shall try these out!!

Asha, it is a nice spread of food. The plantain kalan ann paprika poori is very new to me , looks delcious. Spinach and feta pockets looks yummclicious. locley clicks. Snomwy pictures are awesome. I have seen only in movies. Thanks for dropping by and for your lovley comments in janani's blog. She felt great.

Me too Madhu, so happy for Anoop and double happy to see the end of Tatiana! :DYou know when Anoop turned to camera and said "I just want to say I am with you guys. Chapel hill is going thru' tough time today!".It was his classmate's one year death memorial that day and she was killed by a teenager who robbed her, took her SUV and shot her dead just outside the college last year. All for money! She was about to go to Medical school after few months. Same teenager killed a Indian student from Andhra at DUKE U too, a year before but never got caught until this girl was killed. I was so sad for Anoop and all the kids in Chapel Hill. Trisha is moving in there to Chapel Hill this August.

wow!!, backyard pictures are too good, I have never seen snow till now, hope to see it once in my lifetime :)I am really jealous of you ;), how do you manage to cook so many things? I get tired easily.Good luck for your liquid diet

Pretty shots of snow,my big bro lives in NC too,my bhabhi always enjoys such once in a year heavy snowfall. As for me I live in a snow wonderful,it could even snow in spring. Awesome food with authentic kerala flavors.The SF pockets looks like a great lunch box food.Good luck with detox diet:)

Hello Asha, You have a very good blog going and I am one of your regular visitors. I have tried many of your dishes and they have turned out great.

Just FYI, typically when you make kalan, shallots or onions are totally omitted from the dish. Ground masala usually comprises of coconut-cumin and green chillies or black pepper.Hope to see more yummy dishes.

Now I got the story! We just heard Chapel Hill and my son was screaming, so didn't get what he was trying to tell. That's sounds very bad/scary Asha. Take care of your little one. Situations like these only make me doubt about the presence of God.

Asha my sweet, hope you enjoy all the books! And that 14 days?!?! Salud to you... but I believe you can make it!!!yesterday I made three of your dishes (pulao, fried potato bread and coconut chicken... the last was your tried dish from other blogger). They're all superb, thanks millions again Asha!

when I first blogged, I tried on quite a few of Kerala dishes, love them all! And I won't miss this one you recommended!Weather in March is so crazy, please take care! hug!

MR, Boori was so good with Kalan. Boori even sounds better than Poori!! :D

Madhu, I know! My heart goes out to that girl's parents and all her classmates. With our children being away, what can you do but hold on your husband and God if there is one. It's hard but have to deal with it somehow!

I tried the shrimp curry I guess the day it was posted.Guests dropped in unexpectedly and I was worried how it would turn out at I was trying for the first time.Also I didnt have many ingredients in my pantry too - skipped the paprika pwd(i dont know what it is)But it was too good.We all loved it.It's very much like what my mom prepares.I used masala powders instead of grinding the masala and used 2 ripe tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce.It's a very flavourful curry as you have mentioned.This is a keeper for me.Thanks for sharing!

The bonus pockets are really delicious Ashaji..couldnt visit blogs as we have decided suddenly to mave back to India..So lots of shopping and cleaning works..Going thru ur posts in Aroma too!! I too have the same Ultra Grinder

Paprika Poori is very new for me, it looks fiery red and I love it :) I hope it tastes that way too ? coz I like my food spicy :) Never made Kalan, its come out so well for you, I sometimes read K M Mathews cookbook, she is very popular in Kerala with her cookbooks and recipes , i think they are even available online. Spinach and Feta Pockets are perfect appetizers to serve and impress guests too.

Thanks Kamal, they can't wait until next weekend, will be busy for us too. Kids grow up so fast, don't they? :))

You are welcome Viki. Thank you,glad to receive it! :)

Roopa, There are 2 kinds of Paprika, sweet and hot. I used sweet one for kids, but both kinds give a vibrant color! :)I don't have Matthews books, I think they are available but very expensive here, will try to get one.

Hi Shi, do try Moliy, it's yum. Yes, we usually get curry leaves here in a pack, fresh. But recently curry leaves are hard to get for some reason. Whenever I do, I freeze them to use later and last year I bought a curry leaf plant which is growing very well indoors in the kitchen! :)

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